-For Jon Teitel’s Interview with Rafe Bartholomew – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES
-I was kidding in yesterday’s write up when I said that Syracuse would probably win at Duke because they had just lost at home to Georgia Tech. But, they did win at Duke. I know Duke dealt with an injury, but they still seemed to have superior talent and were at home. In about a 52 hour period, Syracuse was blown out at home by a Georgia Tech team that probably won’t make the NIT, and then won at Duke, which up to this point is the single most impressive win that any team has managed all year. We should start calling them the Schizocuse Orange.
-Kansas held on to beat Texas at home. It was a test for both teams because Kansas is trying to adjust to life without Azubuike, and did show that they could still beat teams like Texas, whereas the Longhorns were really looking to strengthen their resume. It was an exciting back and forth game that Texas had a chance to win at the end, but came up just short.
-Pittsburgh picked up their second straight big home win as they knocked off Florida State. As for the Noles, it’s their second loss in a row, and when you look at their resume it appears to be a bit flimsy.
-Wisconsin fell behind huge to Maryland early in the game, and it appeared to be over, but they fought back on the road, and even managed to get the lead late. Maryland held on to win, but it was a much more exciting affair than it looked like it would be at the half.
-Nebraska got something they desperately needed, and that was a road win against a team with a pulse. They jumped ahead of Indiana and although the Hoosiers did come back, Nebraska sprinted ahead of them in the end. Indiana has lost two straight, and is staring down the barrel of a very tough five game road stretch, so they could be in for some rough times.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-SETON HALL AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). The Big East has been nip and tuck all season so far, and this game probably won’t be any different. Seton Hall has the better resume and Providence has hit the skids, but despite that it’s going to be a hard fought game and a tough game for Seton Hall to win.
-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee is on pace to get a #1 seed and shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve at home.
-KENTUCKY AT GEORGIA (SEC). This is a winnable road game for a Kentucky team that’s been somewhat inconsistent this season, but that for the most part has looked really strong and could be on pace to earn a protected seed.
-BUFFALO AT WESTERN MICHIGAN (MAC). Buffalo is good enough to end up in the top half of the bracket. They shouldn’t be tested that much today by a Western Michigan team that just isn’t that good.
-FLORIDA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Mississippi State’s next win over a solid NCAA Tournament team will be their first. Florida has struggled for much of the year, but is starting to show signs of life. Despite it being January, this game has a bit of urgency to it for both teams.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TCU (Big 12). West Virginia is completely off the rails. At this point teams are just trying to hold serve against them, and not pick up the kind of win that could help their resume.
-SOUTH FLORIDA AT CINCINNATI (American). Both teams have good records, but neither team has all that much meat. South Florida’s record is most likely a product of their schedule, and although they have played well in a couple conference games, they still haven’t actually beaten anyone that’s good. Cincinnati’s resume is a little better, but isn’t so good that they can easily afford any kind of a setback.
-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue has a lot of losses to good teams on their resume, and while there isn’t anything particularly damaging on it, there isn’t a whole lot that’s really good either. It’s important that they hold serve at home against Rutgers.
-SAINT LOUIS AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten). SLU has a smattering of decent wins on their resume, and they should be able to land inside the bubble if they blow through the league.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC). These two teams are a combined 29-1 on the year, both are ranked in the top ten, and both are huge rivals. Despite the bloated record, VA Tech hasn’t really beaten anyone that’s super impressive yet. If they could win this one, it would virtually lock them into the protected seed range, at least for now. Not to mention it would win them the bragging rights, at least for now.
-NC STATE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). NC State is having a great year, but they haven’t played that many true road games, and are just 1-1 on the year. This is a winnable road game and it’s important that they take care of business.
-MARQUETTE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Marquette has had their slip ups, but all and all they look like one of the strongest teams in the Big East and they have a path to a protected seed if they can keep it up. Up to this point they only have one true road win, and were blown out by both Indiana and Saint John’s. If they get beaten badly again then it is a cause for concern.
-NEVADA AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). Boise State is unbeaten in league play, but they haven’t played anyone like Nevada yet. Nevada is good enough to win out, and if they do they’ll end up with a solid protected seed.
-NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). North Carolina has been inconsistent this year, and is looking to bounce back from a rather surprising blowout home loss to Louisville. Notre Dame is a decent team, but they’re too far behind the pack and probably aren’t an NCAA Tournament caliber team.
-LSU AT OLE MISS (SEC). This is a fun match-up between a very surprising Ole Miss team that has suddenly cracked the rankings, and a talented LSU team that could really use a win like this to help build their resume.
-DAVIDSON AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten). Davidson has an outside shot at an at-large bid. Maybe. If they can blow through the league. They’re unbeaten in league play as of now.